Press Rlease Press Release

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1 Press Rlease Press Release Embargoed until: 00:01 21:11:09 NOT FOR BROADCAST OR PUBLICATION BEFORE HRS SATURDAY 21 ST NOVEMBER 2009 This is the sixth annual Halifax Empty Homes in England survey. The National Week of Action on Empty Homes runs from November 23rd to 27th The research in this report is based on data from the Communities & Local Government department (CLG) and ONS. of private homes in England that have been empty long-term rises above 300,000 The latest annual Halifax Empty Homes survey shows that the number of long-term empty private homes (i.e. homes that have been vacant for more than six months) exceeded 300,000 in 2008 for the first time in five years. There were 303,285 long-term empty private homes in England in April 2008, a rise of 9% from 279,281 in April The number of long-term empty private homes is at its highest since April 2003 (308,438), accounting for 1.6% of all privately owned properties. The total number of empty private homes in England (i.e. including homes that have been vacant for less than six months) stood at 613,270 in April 2008, according to CLG figures 1. There is a clear north/south divide. The North West has the highest number of long-term empty private homes (66,691), accounting for 22% of the total across England. The North West also has the highest number of long-term empty homes as a proportion of all private homes (2.6%) followed by Yorkshire and the Humber (2.2%) and the North East (2.1%). London, the South East and the South West have the lowest proportions of long-term empty private homes (all 1.1%). (Table 1) Levels of deprivation are typically higher in areas with a large proportion of empty private homes. Fifteen of the 20 local authorities with the highest proportions of long-term empty private homes are among the 25% in England with the highest levels of deprivation 2. Areas with relatively high levels of long-term empty private homes have lower than average earnings. Eighteen of the 20 local authorities where 3% or more of all private homes have been empty for at least six months have levels of average earnings that are below the national average. The levels of earnings in these locations are, on average, 24% below the national average. Additionally, six of the 10 local authorities with the highest proportion of long-term empty private homes have an unemployment rate that is above the national average. Suren Thiru, economist at Halifax, commented: "It is concerning that there are over 300,000 private homes in England that have been empty for more than six months and that the number has increased recently following several years of decline. In many cases, high levels of long-term empty homes reflect relatively high levels of deprivation, low average earnings and high unemployment." 1 Based on the Local authority: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) submitted to CLG. 2 The Indices of Deprivation are produced by the Communities and Local Government department and rank LAs in England by a range of factors including income, education, health and living conditions. The latest rankings refer to Website:

2 Additional key findings There was a 1.7% (5,153) fall in the number of long-term empty private homes over the five years between April 2003 and April By region Yorkshire and the Humber recorded the largest rise in long-term empty private homes over the past year The number of long-term empty private homes in Yorkshire and the Humber rose by 13.5% over the twelve months to April 2008 (from 36,401 to 41,299); more than in any other region. All regions saw a rise during the period with the North East (2.3%) recording the smallest rise. (Table 2) London experienced the largest fall in long-term empty private homes between 2003 and 2008 Between 2003 and 2008, the number of long-term empty private homes fell in three of the nine English regions. The largest fall was in London where the number fell by 34.7%. There were also falls in the South West (-18.2%) and the East of England (-4.4%). Yorkshire and the Humber saw the biggest rise (19.6%) over the period. (Table 3) By local authority Pendle has the highest proportion of long-term empty private homes in England Pendle in Lancashire has the largest proportion of long-term empty private homes in England (5.9%). This is more than three and a half times the average for England (1.6%). Nine of the 20 areas with the highest proportion of long-term empty private homes are in the North West. (Table 4) 2 of 6

3 Table 1: Long-term empty 1 private homes by region, April 2008 Region As a % of Total Private Homes As a % of total Long-Term Private Empty Homes in England North West 66, % 22% Yorkshire & the Humber 41, % 14% South East 34, % 11% West Midlands 34, % 11% East Midlands 29, % 10% London 28, % 9% East of England 27, % 9% South West 22, % 7% North East 18, % 6% England 303, % 100% Source: Communities and Local Government 1 Defined as a property that has been vacant for more than six months. Table 2: Long-term empty 1 private homes , % change Region (April 07) (April 08) % change Yorkshire & the Humber 36,401 41, % West Midlands 31,071 34, % East Midlands 26,498 29, % South West 20,365 22, % South East 31,855 34, % North West 61,450 66, % East of England 26,244 27, % London 27,437 28, % North East 17,960 18, % England 279, , % Source: Communities and Local Government 1 Defined as a property that has been vacant for more than six months. 3 of 6

4 Table 3: Long-term empty 1 private homes , % change Region (April 03) (April 08) % change Yorkshire & the Humber 34,526 41, % South East 31,795 34, % East Midlands 26,842 29, % West Midlands 32,916 34, % North West 64,352 66, % North East 18,020 18, % East of England 29,274 27, % South West 27,267 22, % London 43,446 28, % England 308, , % Source: Communities and Local Government. 1 Defined as a property that has been vacant for more than six months. Table 4: Areas where long-term empty 1 homes account for 3%+ of private homes, April 2008 Long-term empty Total homes as a of % of Total Private Private Local Authority Region Homes Homes Pendle North West 2,085 35, % Liverpool North West 8, , % Manchester North West 7, , % Berwick-upon-Tweed North East , % Stoke-on-Trent UA West Midlands 3,941 86, % Oldham North West 3,273 72, % Hyndburn North West 1,299 31, % Easington North East 1,265 32, % Salford North West 2,664 73, % Stafford West Midlands 1,667 46, % Kingston upon Hull, City of UA Yorkshire & the Humber 2,795 81, % Leicester UA East Midlands 3,091 90, % South Shropshire West Midlands , % Kirklees Yorkshire & the Humber 4, , % Nottingham UA East Midlands 2,953 88, % East Northamptonshire East Midlands 1,042 31, % Blackburn with Darwen UA North West 1,547 47, % Boston East Midlands , % Preston North West 1,507 48, % Copeland North West , % England 303,285 18,407, % Source: Communities and Local Government. 1 Defined as a property that has been vacant for more than six months. 4 of 6

5 EDITORS' NOTES 354 local authorities in England have been surveyed in this report. Definition of an empty home An empty home is classified as a dwelling which is vacant because it is either between occupants, undergoing modernisation, in disrepair or awaiting demolition. The total number of private vacant dwellings on April 1st 2008 was 613,270, a rise of 4% from 587,229 in April There were 697,055 vacant homes, on this basis, if public dwellings are also included (672,924 in 2007). Data on empty homes in England has been sourced from the "Housing and Investment Programme: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix 2008" by the Communities and Local Government department. The number of empty homes is measured as at April 1 st VAT on Empty Homes 17.5% VAT is payable for renovating an empty home vacant for less than 2 years. 5% VAT is payable for renovating an empty home vacant for more than 2 years. No VAT is payable on renovation of a property vacant more than 10 years, which is renovated and then sold. 5% VAT is payable for restoring and subdividing an empty home vacant for less than 10 years. An extension of the VAT discount for renovating empty homes vacant for more than 2 years from more than 3 years was announced in the 2007 Pre-Budget Report. Empty Homes Grants Some local authorities give grants for restoring empty homes. However, these vary by area and usually require the owner to then let the dwelling as social housing afterwards. Council tax discount for empty homes is discretionary Legislative changes in 2003 gave Local Authorities the power to abolish the council tax discount for empty homes. However, some local authorities still retain this discount, up to 50% of the annual council tax charge. Contacts for media enquiries: Eleanor Ross, tel Emma Partridge, tel "This report is prepared from information that we believe is collated with care, however, it is only intended to highlight issues and it is not intended to be comprehensive. We reserve the right to vary our methodology and to edit or discontinue/withdraw this, or any other report. Any use of this report for an individual's own or third party commercial purposes is done entirely at the risk of the person making such use and solely the responsibility of the person or persons making such reliance. " 5 of 6

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